Diet is "Die" with a "T"

That is a direct quote from my Garfield the cat placemat from when I
was in Grade 4. And wow, here is proof that you really can find just
about anything on the internet:

Of
course in the past 20 years, we've really started to "get" this
concept. Garfield was ahead of his time. Let me quote, well, everyone:
"Dieting does not work." Plain and simple. Anything you're going to do
to an extreme, and/or for a temporary period of time, and/or which
removes major food groups from your daily food intake is a diet. Ergo,
it won't work. Oh, well sure, of course it will get you results. At
least for a while. So I guess in that sense it does work. You DO lose
weight when you completely cut all grains out of your diet. You DO lose
weight when you only take in 1000 calories a day. You certainly DO lose
weight when you wear a chain of garlic around your neck to ward off the
evil spirits that call your name when cake is near. But does that mean
your diet works? I guess if you just want to lose weight for a specific
event like a wedding or New Year's Eve or something, and you don't
really care if you gain it back later, then yes, it works.

Personally,
I hate regaining weight. There is nothing that kills my mood and
outlook on things more than realizing after working so hard to lose
weight and change my diet, I've slipped back into old habits and
regained some of that hard-won prize. And I've done it enough times to
know it is just so much easier to keep doing what it takes to manage my
weight than to have to corral my spirits to do it again... and again...
and again. So, it stands to reason that if I'm going to just keep doing
what it takes to lose weight, it better be something I can actually
live with.

How about you? How many times have you lost and found
the same 10, 20... 50+ pounds? It's taken me a lifetime to accept the
fact that any quick-loss plan (ie: more than 2 pounds per week) is not
going to get me the long term results I want. The lure of those diets
is strong. Who wouldn't be compelled to go on a diet that promises fast
results, especially when your pants are creating a muffin top that
really qualifies as an actual cake, and double-especially when it
"worked" last time.

One myth I'd like to debunk right now about
the "results" those programs create is that you're actually losing fat
when you lose "7 lbs in 7 days." Sure, a couple of those pounds are
fat. But most of it is actually "water-weight." Usually these kinds of
results occur when you cut "carbs" (starches and sugars) out of your
diet. This depletes your glycogen stores ("reserve" glucose stored in
muscles and the liver used for energy to fuel your daily activities),
and since glycogen draws water into cells, you lose a lot of water on
these plans. So while it looks great on the scale, and ya, you're a
little less puffy, it's not fat. And I don't know about you, but I want
to lose fat. Why am I going to deprive myself of all those yummy and
healthy and appetite-satisfying whole grains and fruit (and yes, the
occasional cookie), which makes me feel jealous of my carb-eating
friends, makes me irritable and easily fatigued... all just to lose a
few extra pounds of water? Pffft.

So what's the answer? Oh, I
bet you know the answer. It's nothing groundbreaking. I know I'll sound
like a genius when I say it, but really, it's pretty common sense. In
fact, I'll quote, well, everyone: The key to long-term weight RELEASE
(not "loss" because usually we want to find what we lose) and
maintenance is - drum roll please - Balance & Moderation. That
means balanced intake of all major nutrients (fat, carbs, protein), and
moderate amounts of "treats." I like the 80/20 rule (or 90/10 if you
only have a small amount of weight to release): 80% of choices should
be healthy, and 20% can be less than ideal. This promotes health,
vitality, a natural return to a healthy body weight, and keeps you
sane! It's something you can maintain for life, which means you don't
have to fear gaining it back again. You will no longer be "die-ing"
with a "t" but LIVING with vitali-T (ba dum bum).

But whyyyyyyy don't diets work? Why do we regain weight?[insert foot stomp and pouty face here]
The reasons are plenty, but they all boil down to "because I couldn't sustain my die-t forever."

Cravings and Blood Sugar
OK
so, this is basically the crux of the problem, right? We could and
would gladly live on the 80/20 plan, if only we didn't have cravings
that drove us to stuff our face in a pint of Haagen Dazs. "Moderation"
is a great concept. In practice, it can become a little outta hand
before we know it. So how do we conquer the cravings so we can keeping
"living with vitalit-T?" One of the key things we need to manage is our
blood sugar. You're probably thinking "well, I don't have diabetes or
hypoglycemia, so I'm good here." Bzzzzt, wrong! (that was a buzzer,
like on a game show). Everyone has fluctuations in their blood sugar
throughout the day. It's part of the system that triggers the hormones
that kick hunger and eating into gear. Ravenous cravings over which you
have little control are often the result of wild spikes in blood sugar
caused by eating high glycemic foods (high in simple sugars), such as
well, sugar, refined carbs like white bread, white pasta, white rice,
and to a lesser extent certain fruits like pineapple, bananas, and
watermelon. Eating cookies for a snack gives you a surge of sugar into
your bloodstream very quickly... and within a couple of hours, you get
a sort of rebound effect that results in a crash in blood sugar and
your energy and willpower along with it. This is a sure way to set
yourself up to crave for more cookies.

Diets = stress
We
are our ancestors' children, and since the fittest (most suited for
their conditions) survive, we inherited the fantastic ability to store
fat very easily. Afterall, they had to survive famines, and freezing
temperatures at least part of the year, so the ability to store body
fat was essential. When we diet, it's really a self-imposed famine...
even if you're not following a VLC diet (very low calorie - less than
1200 calories/day for women, 1600 for men), you are operating within a
"diet mentality" which is one of deprivation and starvation.

Add
to "diet stress" the regular ol' daily grind type of stress - too much
to do with not enough hours in the day, not enough time or money or
energy to do the things we really want to do, not enough love in our
relationships.... getting the idea? Chronic stress tends to come from
LACK, or at least our PERCEPTION of lack. Dieting fits that mold
perfectly too.

And like an alcoholic who is driven to drink,
stress will drive you to eat. And to eat foods that make you gain
weight the fastest. It's hard wired in our biochemistry, an inheritance
from all those who came before us who needed to survive harsh uncertain
conditions. Unfortunately it doesn't do us much good today, when food
is literally everywhere. And it's not just twigs and berries we have
out our fingertips. We can get the really good stuff that helps us gain
weight fast - sugar and fat, fat and sugar.

Conditioning of our brain, biochemistry and behaviour
Every
time we've made a choice of something to eat, we have the impact of
that food on our bio and neurochemistry. Hormones and neurotransmitters
are released in response to certain foods that trigger the reward
centres of our brains, and drive us to seek out those foods. In a short
matter of a few repetitions of eating those foods and getting your
"fix" even the conditions around the food (location, people, activity,
time of day, emotions, etc) will begin to act as triggers that compel
you to satisfy the demands of the brain and body for the reward
(literally opiates). Add stress on top of this and you see further why
you're reaching for the Doritos and Mars bars.

For
anyone who is ready to make the change to get off the diet
rollercoaster, and really feed themselves, but is overwhelmed at where
to begin, or isn't sure she can really really do this for the long
haul, please take a look at Spring's Inspire Yourself workshop.
We've got proven strategies to help get your body working with your
mind, and empower your mind to start running the show. If you'd like
ongoing support in a group environment, we also have an 8 week Weight Releaseworkshop
that is coming up in the fall, where in addition to learning
"motivational" strategies, you will also get more information and tools
on food and nutrition for weight release. And of course, if you prefer
one-on-one support, contact us for a complimentary consultation to talk about your needs and goals (use the sign-up form on this blog-site or at www.springrenual.ca).